Halo: Ascending to War
by ejwrites
Summary: The UNSC and the Covenant Separatists have allied to explore the galaxy. But an unknown planet, with heavy fighting will draw them into a conflict that will shake the galaxy. For they knew not, they were Ascending to the war.


**Halo and Star Wars Xover. Please review and please, no flames. Just constructive criticism. **

_The War has ended between the UNSC and the Covenant Separatists had made an alliance in exploring outside the Milky Way. Though things sometimes are tense, eventually, both sides accepted each others help. Several ships were dispatched outside their galaxy, to find new worlds and possibly, other civilizations. This is the story of one such ship, and their contact with an alien civilization. After that contact, all hell broke loose. _

**3/25/2559 Six years after the war. UNSC _Ascendants of Heaven_**

_"I'm on a Highway to Hell!"_

_ -AC/DC_

The clanking of heavy armor along the deck of the _Ascendants of Heaven_, alerted Captain Roman to the Elite. Dressed in the officers uniform, the Captain was highly respected by the Elites for his battle prowl, fighting them at Earth, Reach, and several other planets. The greying hair of the fifty odd year old man was matted down, while his wiry frame hid toned muscles. The _Ascendants of Heaven _was one of the only ships to serve from the start of the war to the end of it, and by the end of the war, it had brought down over a hundred Covenant ships, a tenth of what the entire UNSC Navy claimed to have destroyed.

The Elite, in golden colored armor, was a Field Marshall and the head of the Covenant Separatists currently on board his ship. There were a little over a hundred of them on board, along with several Engineers or Huragok as the Elite said their names were.

"Field Marshall Retu Mdama. It has been sometime." and the Elite bowed his head in respect to the Captain. The Captain had destroyed his army during the Battle of Earth, by disobeying orders by his Lord Hood, and providing close support with the destroyer. If not for the fact that Roman managed to save the 11th Marines from total decimation, he would have been court-martialed and executed.

"Yes, it has been Shipmaster." Retu said, acknowledging Roman's status as the Captain of the ship. In Elite culture, it was the highest respect for a human.

"What news have you brought me?" Roman asked and Retu gestured for his Sangeili aid to come forward.

"The ships sensors have detected heavy fighting along the new system we are about to enter. We want to send one of our Spec Op teams to investigate." Retu said, bowing his head in respect of Roman.

"Approved. Land on the planet where the fighting is taking place, observe, report, and then extract. I'll have the Reapers accompany." The Reapers were a squad of ODSTs that had been deployed behind Covenant lines and decimated the Covenant forces on the planet Harmony, leading to their nicknames, the Reapers. They wore grey armor, with black visors, along with the angel of death stitched on their armor. The Spec Ops commander, an Elite by the name of Azar would be the commander of the team. The Spec Ops officer was one of the best, able to inspire the living souls of even the most emotional of grunts.

Both officers looked in to the distant space, wondering who was waiting for them. As they were about to exit Slip-space, the tears of death were about to begin to rain down once more.

The heavy breathing of the ODST woke Azar up. The Sangheili Spec Ops Officer, stretched out on his personal bunk, opened his eyes to see his best friend and sister in arms, Zoey Mack. She was an ODST, and both had fought in the war. She was a very beautiful blonde, with blue eyes and a strong body. Azar had almost been killed by her, if had not been for a Kig-Yar sniper that shot her in the lower stomach. Both had met up in the Installation, where Zoey saved his life. He was eternally grateful, though he was annoyed by the fact she never let him live it down. She was standing over him, and clad in the ODST armor.

The black armored human was standing up straight, with her best friend, Carmine. Carmine was her rifle, the BR-55 she had lugged from Reach to the Citadel, it had never let her down. Azar let his legs start to loosen from the quick nap he had taken, before lunging up, catching the startled ODST in a brief hug. Azar was very affectionate, and the only reason he was, well, lets just say he had certain human always on his mind. He always just let it go as a Sangheili thing a mo bob.

"How did you sleep, you hinge head?" she asked jokingly. Azar was used to the banter between them and always relished in these encounters.

"I slept well, dreaming of the ways that I could kill you without dishonoring myself. I came up short of a hundred." he replied, and Zoey grinned.

"Oh, did the poor baby forget to take his honor back after I stole it?" she said, puppy eyeing the Elite.

"And when I regain it, I will dishonor _you." _he said quietly, hoping she didn't catch the meaning of the words. Zoey just smiled, before sauntering off. Azar followed, encased in his black Spec Ops armor, while hefting his carbine. Several of his file where already on duty, including the grunts Zap and Yap. Both of them were Heavy, carrying Fuel Rod cannons. Both had served along Azar for almost six years, fighting with him at Earth and the Citadel. He had great respect for them, and both had saved his life one time during the war against the remnants of the broken Covenant Empire.

The ship they were on, the UNSC _Ascendants of Heaven, _was a destroyer. It's main focus was to fight ship to ship battles. Azar knew this. He had seen several of these ships go toe to toe with Covenant capital ships and survive. This one had been modified with an hangar, in order to have the Pelicans, Hornets, Banshees, and Phantoms. Several Sabre fighters, equipped with limited slip-space technology also accompanied the Destroyer, allowing it to focus on its main role as a battering ram or a hammer against the ships they would probably face.

Azar walked into the hallway, slipping past several Marines, while trying to keep up with Zoey. Several of them snickered, for it was rumored that the Elite was enamored with the ODST, though no one dared try and tell him in his face. The Elite ran with full force and caught up with her. His energy shields were now fully charged, while his energy dagger and blade where within his reach.

"Where are we going Zoey?" he asked curiously, and Zoey just shook her head.

"I'm going to the drop pods to get some food. You are going to your gunship to lead your file." she said, before hugging Azar. A Huragok, bubbling happily up and down, stopped to observe, before beeping erotically and continuing down the hall, stopping only to rip a backpack from a Marine's back. Azar smiled one of his rare smiles. It was Lightest Weight, a very mischievous Huragok, was now flying away from the screaming Marine, who was yelling curses that Azar would not want to say around children.

"There goes Lightest Weight. He's very crafty, isn't he?" Zoey asked. Azar only laughed in agreement before running off to the hangar. As he was preoccupied in his thoughts about Zoey, he didn't see the Marine he crashed into.

"Wooo!" the Marine yelled, as he skidded onto the floor. Azar grinned sheepishly, before helping the Marine up. The asian Marine glanced up, before smiling.

"Thinking of Zoey again?" he asked, and Azar nodded. The Marine, a young man by the name of Elias Atienza, was one of the most lethal weapons on the ships. He carried an antiqued MA5B, though he argued that the rifle was alot better than the new one. He was also the only one who knew about Azar's crush on Zoey.

"Yes. Let us go the hangar. The Phantom will be the place to talk." and Elias nodded as well. Elias was a close combat Marine, and had fought against the flood at the tender age of sixteen. The twenty-two year old Marine had a booming laugh and a wisecracking persona, but he was caring and nice.

The Phantom was bristling with two plasma cannons, and was upgraded with active camo, and it just there, with naval and grunt personal going along. A Mgalekegolo, named Sparky by the Marines and ODSTs along the Heaven, was standing quietly, as in mediation. Azar knew better, he was thinking of ways to dismember Jiralhanae, for they had killed his bond brother on Earth over six years ago. The silence was because of a vow the Mgalekegolo had taken, to not speak until death was able to reunite the two.

Four grunts, two heavies along with three Spec Ops, were on the Phantom, and they were Azar's file. Following him since the Fall of Reach, they had served faithfully with each other. A Kig-Yar sniper, one of the few who had not turned to the Covenant, was fiddling with his needle rifle. Azar felt that the Kig-Yar weren't honorable. But they got the job done, and that was enough for him.

The five members of his file were just hanging around, waiting for him. After adjusting his rifle, he approached them, along with Elias. Elias was the Marine liaison trooper with the file, and Azar appreciated him for fighting with them. He was best friends with the sniper Kig-Yar, often spotting for him when he wasn't needed at the front. When that happened he carried along his sniper rifle, leaving his MA5B on the ship. Most of the planets the ship had been to were full of wildlife, and not with civilized folks.

The grunts and the Kig-Yar snapped to attention. Elias just went to the side and approached Sparky, and the two feel into deep concentration. The katana at Elias's side served to remind Azar that the Marine was skilled in melee fighting, for Elias had saved his life more than once. Now that he thought about it, his butt had been saved a lot of times by other people.

The team pile onto the Phantom, followed by Sparky and Elias. The two Sangeili pilots, both Minors, powered the Phantom on. Azar 'Lodam, then turned towards his file. Elias was now on board, having switched his MA5B for his S2.

"File. The UNSC Captain has spotted a system with heavy fighting. We do not who is who. We are being sent to observe. We will report. The Reapers will join us on the ground." Azar said, and the file nodded and muttered. This was going to be interesting.

On a faraway planet, a woman, twenty-two years of age, and having orange skin and a strange hairdo, was quietly mediating. Several of her clone soldiers were on watch for the Empire. They were ARC troopers, some of the finest that the Former Republic could muster. The green sky seemed to smile with joy, though the sounds of war came closer.

The Republic, or the Former Republic, was making its last stand. On the Planet Reqiuem. The Imperial Star Destroyers were now landing thousands of Stormtroopers, ready to end the Republic, the conscripts armed and roaring to go. She sighed, for she felt this was the end. Ashoka, the last of the Jedi Knights. She stood up, faced her soldiers and ignited the blade on her hip. The Alliance was responding with a fleet of ships, but she doubted that they could turn the tide. The clones had refused to abandon her when her Star Destroyer had crashed on the planet almost twenty years prior, hiding from Darth Vader. She had been put in a Bacta Tank for her healing from her injuries. which astonishingly, took her twenty years.

She wasn't going down without a fight. She saw the clones, some of the few that had not turned on the Jedi almost twenty years ago. They were going to stand by her, for better or for worst. After almost twenty years of being in a Bacta tank had allowed her to still be her youthful age, though she had a wisdom beyond her years.

She wouldn't have it any other way.


End file.
